Photo: SpaceX
The hype surrounding the successful launch of the Falcon Heavy on Tuesday made some folks mad. As the Dow bit the dust on Wall Street, suburban entrepreneurs were already trying to make a buck by piggybacking on SpaceX's happy ending story. Or, at least, have some fun.
Just before the Musk rocket soared towards history books, some guy posted a very intriguing ad on Craigslist: he was selling a SpaceX orbital rocket, only to serious buyers. Since it's posting, the announcement has been flagged for removal by the website, so no, you can't buy a SpaceX rocket online.
According to Florida Today, the seller said the Falcon 9 booster comes with a “slight burnt paint” that can be “buffed out.” The seller did not provide shipping but requested in return that the buyer come with his own tugboat to pick it up.
"Gently used orbital rocket in good condition. Fully loaded with onboard flight computer, launch and landing hardware. Take off and land anywhere! 9X Merlin engines each capable of producing 200k lb.ft of thrust. Just fuel it up, and it's ready to go," the ad said according to the source.
The ad was listed in the website's heavy equipment section and came complete with a map showing the location of the rocket, somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.
The asking price for the rocket was $9.9 million or best offer. "Do not lowball. This is an orbital capable autonomous rocket. You will not find another one like it,” said the seller.
That would have been a bargain, provided the ad was real, and one would really have a use for an orbital rocket. The estimated manufacturing price of SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster, according to Fortune, is around $60 million.
Upkeep and fuel wouldn't have been cheap either. For a successful launch, the Falcon 9 would have drunk $200,000 worth of fuel.
According to Florida Today, the seller said the Falcon 9 booster comes with a “slight burnt paint” that can be “buffed out.” The seller did not provide shipping but requested in return that the buyer come with his own tugboat to pick it up.
"Gently used orbital rocket in good condition. Fully loaded with onboard flight computer, launch and landing hardware. Take off and land anywhere! 9X Merlin engines each capable of producing 200k lb.ft of thrust. Just fuel it up, and it's ready to go," the ad said according to the source.
The ad was listed in the website's heavy equipment section and came complete with a map showing the location of the rocket, somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.
The asking price for the rocket was $9.9 million or best offer. "Do not lowball. This is an orbital capable autonomous rocket. You will not find another one like it,” said the seller.
That would have been a bargain, provided the ad was real, and one would really have a use for an orbital rocket. The estimated manufacturing price of SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster, according to Fortune, is around $60 million.
Upkeep and fuel wouldn't have been cheap either. For a successful launch, the Falcon 9 would have drunk $200,000 worth of fuel.
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